Here
are three things which I see in these words of lamentation, which fell from the
lips of the Son of God, when he was made to be sin for us.

WHAT AN INFINITELY EVIL THING SIN IS! Sin
is such a horrid thing that the holy Lord God cannot tolerate it, even when it
was found upon his darling Son. Wherever God sees sin, he will punish it
without mercy. When the angels fell, God cast them out of heaven and holds them
in chains of darkness until the day of judgment (2 Pet. 2:4; Jude 6). When Adam
sinned, he was cursed of God and driven from the presence of the Lord (Gen. 3).
When God looked upon the wickedness of Noah’s generation, he destroyed the
whole world in the flood of his wrath (Gen. 6). Upon the twin cities of
perverseness, Sodom and Gomorrah, God poured out fire and brimstone (Gen. 19).
And when God saw sin upon his darling Son, his only-begotten, well-beloved Son,
he forsook him! Be warned - If God
finds sin on you, he will destroy you forever in hell, without mercy! Flee to
Christ, who alone can cleanse you of all sin!

HOW THOROUGH AND COMPLETE CHRIST’S
OBEDIENCE TO THE FATHER WAS AS OUR SURETY! We could never obey God
perfectly. We could never fulfill the demands of the law or the gospel. But
Christ met and satisfied perfectly all the demands of God for his elect.

This cry, “My God, my God,” was made at the zenith
of our Lord’s obedience. Christ was
obedient even unto death. Our salvation was accomplished both by his doing
and by his dying. His doing is imputed to us for righteousness (Rom. 5:19). His
dying made atonement for our sins (Rom. 5:11). Even when he was forsaken of
God, our Surety remained obedient.

This cry is an expression of Christ’s perfect faith in God. As a man he believed God
and showed us what it is to believe him. “Faith is believing the Word of God,
not because we see it to be true, or feel it to be true, but because God said
it” (M’Cheyne). We are often unbelieving. But our Surety never doubted God,
even when he was forsaken of God!

And this cry is an expression of exemplary love and devotion. Here is love and devotion
unrivaled! Hanging upon the cursed tree, without one drop of mercy, one smile
from heaven, or one comfort for his soul, Christ loved the very God who forsook
him!

THE INFINITE DEPTH OF HELL OUR SAVIOR
ENDURED! What is hell if it is not being abandoned totally by God? Why was
Christ forsaken? Because there was no other way for sinners to be accepted with
God. Justice had to be satisfied. When the Son of God was made to be sin for
us, when our sins were imputed to him, God forsook him and poured out upon him
all the fullness of his wrath (Lam. 1:12). God gave him everything our sins
deserve. And now, the holy Lord God, accepts all who trust his dear Son, imputes
to us his perfect righteousness, and rewards us with eternal glory for Christ’s
sake, giving us all that he deserves.